


Parallelepiped

by Norskate



Category: Brave (2012), Frozen (2013)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Student/Teacher, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Crossover, Crossover Pairings, F/F, Femslash, Lesbian Elsa, Teacher-Student Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-25
Updated: 2015-11-30
Packaged: 2018-04-11 02:43:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 21,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4418024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Norskate/pseuds/Norskate
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merida is finally in her last year of high school. She has no plans to attend university in the fall, so as the spring rolls around she can practically taste the freedom on her lips. But her new geometry teacher, Miss Elsa Queen, isn't giving her an easy time. As her accurate name implies she rules the classroom with strict discipline, but she just cannot seem to get Merida to pay attention. However, it may be that Elsa is Merida's biggest distraction.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Courtyard

**Author's Note:**

> I started this nearly a year ago on Fanfiction.net. I've developed it quite a bit since then, but I decided to try posting it here. Now it's one of my many Merelsa AUs. Enjoy! -Jojo

Chapter One: The Courtyard  
//

It was days like these that Merida thought school wasn’t so awful. She could sit in the open courtyard all by herself and just relax in the warm spring air. In only a few weeks, the summer would officially begin and she could be out of this moldy, stuffy prison forever. She leaned back on the bench and took another bite of her apple. She let the juice slide down the corner of her mouth lazily and closed her eyes as she chewed.

The clear of a throat above her broke her concentration. She opened her eyes and nearly choked as she realized who it was standing in front of her. Merida hastily wiped her mouth on her sleeve and sat up straight, lifting her eyes up from the neatly pressed pencil skirt, over the professional light blue blouse and straight to the quizzical face staring at her. Miss Elsa Queen was there with her hands on her hips and an eyebrow carefully raised in suspicion. Although she had been more commonly known as ‘the new geometry teacher taking Deville’s place’ at the beginning of the year, by now she was generally well-liked by the school’s population. Both students and fellow staff alike admired her ability to exhibit grace and kindness in the classroom but still be firm and controlling enough to keep the rowdy high school kids in line. At the young age of 22, she had incredible skill with even the toughest of cases. Well, except when it came to one particular rebel.

“Merida,” the teacher said evenly. “I’m surprised to see you here.” She lifted a wrist and glanced at her watch. “It’s not your lunch period.”

“You know my schedule?” Merida asked, trying to regain her relaxed composure. Damn, she thought. It had been such a peaceful moment.

“No,” Elsa replied. “I usually see you headed up the stairs this time of day.”

“Oh, so you like to watch me, do you? And now you’ve followed me.”

Elsa tried to keep her composure at the strange accusation.

“No,” she repeated. “I usually come here to eat my lunch. I find it a welcomed difference to the noisy classes I have.” She smiled gently and held up her lunch box to illustrate her point. She took the open seat next to Merida on the bench and started unpacking it on her lap. Merida scratched the side of her neck, looking away and trying to find a new place for her eyes to land other than the teacher.

“Uh, so, aren’t you going to go report me now?”

Elsa shook her head, lifting her sandwich to her lips. She paused and said,

“I told you, I came out here to have my lunch. I’m not going to miss that for something silly.”

It was Merida’s turn to lift her eyebrows. Could she really be getting off the hook this once?

“I’ll do it after I’ve finished,” the teacher added, after she’d swallowed her first bite.

Of course it was too good to be true. Merida slumped again and groaned.

“Do you always have to be so… such a…?”

“Be careful of your wording here.”

“A stickler for the rules,” Merida decided. “You get me for every little thing! I cannae copy homework. I cannae leave class a bit early. I cannae come in a bit late. You have to cut me some slack!”

The teacher turned her head towards her. Merida’s mouth shut and she swallowed nothing. That nervous habit seemed to be becoming a regular thing when Elsa gave her those icy looks.

“Why should I cut you slack? My other students work very hard for what they have.”

“Aw cummoan!” Merida said with a scoff, again having to pry her gaze away from the woman beside her. “They cheat and copy more than I do. I’m willing to bet on that.”  
Despite her better judgment, Elsa pressed a hand above her chin and laughed softly.

“Don’t laugh!” Merida chided. “I’m not asking you to pass me for nothing. But what’s the harm in showing up a little late? I don’t mean any offense to you by it. I just hate waking up so early.”

“I can see where you’re coming from. But you should see where I am in this situation. This is my job, Merida. If you get in trouble and I don’t say anything, then I am the one who gets in trouble. And there is a lot more riding on me being able to keep my job than you missing a television show because you’re stuck in detention with me.”

“Anno, but that’s nothing compared to the punishment of having to listen to my mother rant. You don’t have to listen to that.”

“Your mother is a very nice woman. She came to back-to-school night to meet with me.”

“Well to others, o’ course she is! She has to uphold a reputation somehow. But I know better.”

Elsa couldn’t help but laugh again.

“Merida, for all the headaches you cause me, you’re very amusing.”

The redhead smiled, enjoying the compliment.

“So you don’t mind if I stay until class is done?”

“Hm,” Elsa said, as if remembering that she was in fact sitting beside a cutting student. “Where are you supposed to be?”

“English. We have a test that I may have forgotten to study for.”

Elsa sighed, shaking her head as she continued to eat. Merida shrugged.

“You’re right, I didn’t forget. I just ignored it. But my grade in English is downright awful.”

“If your penmanship is anything similar to what I have to read when you write proofs, then I feel awful for your language teachers.”

“Och!” Merida said in a mock-offended tone. “Who needs penmanship?”

She turned towards the tree they sat adjacent to and slipped a small switchblade from her pocket.

“I’d rather be in a class where we actually do things. Like woodshop. Now that’s a useful class. We ought to have archery class too,” she mumbled, working intently on something.

“What are you doing?” Elsa asked after a moment. Merida had grown quiet, and that hardly seemed like a good thing, so she looked over and noticed her hunched over. Merida sat up, pocketed the pen knife, and showed off her work. In the bark of the tree she’d whittled a beautiful capital ‘M’.

“You’re defacing school property,” Elsa deadpanned.

“This is art!” Merida countered. “And it’s useful. Writing legibly on homework is not useful. No one reads that stuff anyway.”

Elsa hoped she was joking. But just in case she wasn’t, she said,

“I read ‘that stuff’.”

Merida shrugged.

“Yeah, but you’re different. You’re always trying so hard.”

Elsa fidgeted uneasily as she sealed a Tupperware container of hummus now half-emptied.

“You think I’m trying too hard?”

Merida was surprised at the hurt tone Elsa had used. She reached over and touched the teacher’s hand.

“I didn’t mean it as a bad thing. You’re just new. You haven’t given up yet like the rest of the teachers here.”

“D-don’t be rude to the others. They’re doing a tough job.” Elsa glanced awkwardly between Merida and where their hands rested now. Merida's eyes didn't leave her.

“Why do you feel so cold?”

Elsa drew away, trying to hide her embarrassment.

“I don’t know. I’m going back to get ready for my next class,” Elsa said, quickly collecting her things and standing up. “You should do the same thing.”

“Sure, sure, whatever you say.”

Merida instead stretched out on the bench by herself to daydream in the warm sun, determined to relax. She heard something tear, then felt a piece of paper being placed on her face.

“I’ll see you in detention this afternoon,” Elsa said much too kindly on her way towards the door.

“Looking forward to it,” Merida replied smoothly.

//


	2. Pass or Fail

//

The next week, Elsa was sitting in the same spot under the large oak tree in the empty courtyard. She glanced over and saw Merida’s ‘M’ standing out against the darker bark. Why had she chosen this place, of all the places in radius, to cut class? Now she was thinking about her again. She felt as though she already thought about her enough. It was certainly more than a teacher should focus on one student. Now, even during her lunch breaks, her mind wandered to the fiery redhead with the admittedly charming personality.  
And, speak of the devil, that was exactly who strolled through the open area just as Elsa was opening her bag of pretzels.

“G’afternoon, snowflake.”

Elsa nearly blushed at the pet name. Nearly.

“I guess you were in the mood for another detention today?”

Merida grinned and held up her pass.

“Not today, thank you. I’ve got permission.” She waved it side to side.

“I really doubt that pass says ‘courtyard’ on it. Where does Mrs. Belle think you are?”

“It doesn’t matter. A pass is a pass.” She plopped herself gracelessly beside the older woman and stretched out her legs. She contemplated kicking off her boots, but it would take effort to get them laced up again in case she had to leave quickly for some reason. At least here she could let the fresh air surround the rest of her. Elsa scanned her curiously as she munched on her snack. Should she argue Merida’s logic? It might be best.

“The point of the pass is to keep you from causing trouble. Not excuse you from it.”

Merida groaned.

“Are you the pass police?”

“Well, not exactly-,”

“Then,” Merida interrupted, “we’re both here to have some peace. So why don’t we just have it?”

Elsa quieted and continued to nibble away her pretzels one by one. Merida cracked an eye open.

“You aren’t going to yell at me for saying that?”

“Have I ever really yelled at you?”

Merida’s eyes opened fully and she leaned forward a bit.

“No. You’re much more successful with those damn looks of yours.”

“Don’t curse like that. You’re in school.”

“That’s ridiculous! I’m a senior now. Every teacher loves to tell me how I need to grow up. ‘You’re eighteen years old now, Merida. It’s time to make decisions. It’s time to be an adult’. But I am not allowed to actually do anything. Cannae even curse, let alone go where I want when I want. I’m just stuck in this prison until they let me out. Then they don’t own me anymore.”

“We’re all trying to do what’s best for you. I know how you feel. I was a senior in high school once.”

“Yeah, last year, was it?”

Elsa tried very hard not to roll her eyes.

“Thank you, I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“You shouldn’t. Being treated like this is pure awful. I’m an adult. I can make my own choices. They just will not let me.”

Elsa had to admire her passion. They had completely different views on how structure and rules should be handled, but Merida’s bravery was something she felt she had often lacked herself. It was as scary as it was inspiring.

“What is it you want to do once your free, Merida?”

“Whatever I want!” She said, beaming. “Of course I’ll still do sports. I would never give up archery or hiking or riding.”

“I meant: what will you do for a job?”

“Oh, that’s obvious. I’m taking over my father’s business. I already work at the shop part time.”

“Is that what you want to do? Work at a sporting goods store?”

Merida eyed her skeptically.

“Are you trying to make that sound like a bad thing? I’m not just going to be a cashier or something. I’m going to own my own business. He’s a chain of stores across the coast. He and me mum manage them all. That’s what I’ll be doing one day.”

“I wasn’t trying to offend you,” Elsa apologized. “I just wanted to know if that’s what you wanted to do. Sometimes we’re- I mean, people are- forced into something because of their parent’s views.”

“Believe me. I’ll be doing what I want. Taking over the company will be great. It’s all the resistance from me mother that makes it such a hassle. She’s always on me about how I have to do this and that while my brothers run around doing who knows what.”

“Running a business is a lot of work.”

“Aw, come on! My father really doesn’t do much. I’ve seen him work. When you’re on top, all the people below you do the work for you.”

“I don’t think that’s how it works.”

“Really? You ever topped?”

Elsa opened her mouth to reply when Merida’s face got incredibly red.

“I meant been on top!” Merida added instantly, trying to backpedal. “Have you ever been on top?”

A siren went off in her brain, signaling an emergency. She was only making it worse. She put her hands on her burning cheeks and tried to think of something to say to remedy the situation. The siren and the implications of Elsa being on top of anything were making it hard to think. Elsa hadn’t had her mind in the proverbial gutter, but now she had figured out why Merida was looking so flustered.

“That’s not what I meant!” Merida shouted, finding no better thing to say. Elsa blushed too.

“I- I didn’t think anything of it! Honestly.”

The two refused to look at one another. Merida stood up and cleared her throat, deciding now would be the best time to run. She was glad she’d kept her boots on.

“Well, I really should be off, then. My pass doesn’t say ‘courtyard’ on it.”

“Right. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Elsa kept her eyes trained ahead of her. “Don’t forget to do your homework. 56 and 57.”

“Aye. It’ll be done. Mostly.”

Stiffly, awkwardly, Merida walked out of the enclosure and rushed up the stairs. She never thought she’d be that happy to be back in class.

//


	3. Geometry

//

Numbers were consistent. Numbers made up formulas, and formulas supported structure. Elsa believed everything needed structure. She took comfort in the fact that the triangle would always be the strongest shape. She could sleep at night knowing that Pythagorean's theorem would give her the hypotenuse. Her tensions were tamed when she told her class the honest fact that two parallel lines would never, ever meet. Ever.

Perpendicular lines, however, were a different story. They intersected and formed a 90 degree angle. It just so happened that Merida's small student desk was situated perpendicularly from Elsa's own, and that was where Merida was sitting on a particularly dreary Thursday after school had let out.

"Do you think it will let up by the weekend?" Merida asked, referring to the rain. She was turned around backwards in her chair and staring out the window. "I have an archery competition on Saturday."

Elsa smiled gently and opened a manila folder.

"Let's hope it does, then," she replied. "With all the rain this week, you've been even more antsy than usual."

"They won't let me out. The courtyard's flooded, so it's locked up."

"If they didn't lock it you'd be tracking mud through the whole building."

"Mud never hurt anyone. And it's a lot of fun for riding."

Elsa shuffled through the papers in the folder and smiled at the mass of wild hair in front of her.

"Ah, yes. That biking you do."

Merida turned around in her seat so she was facing forward again and able to see Elsa's face.

"What's that implying?"

"Nothing. I don't know a lot about it. Is that what you were doing yesterday instead of your homework?"

Merida grimaced. She folded her arms onto her desk and let her chin rest comfortably on top. She blew a lock of hair away from her face.

"Naw."

Elsa's lips tightened. She glanced down at the paper on top of the stack she had laid on her desk. There was Merida's most recent quiz score staring back at her. It was poor, to say the least.

"Merida, you're so smart," she began. "Why don't you just do your homework?" Elsa was sure that would cure the girl's grade, or at least bring it into an acceptable range. At this rate, her grade was sliding downward on a steep slope, and that line didn't seem like it would suddenly reflect itself and start climbing upwards.

"I dunno how to do the homework," Merida confessed. And Elsa assumed that was because she spent her time doing everything but pay attention in class. She doodled when she should be taking notes. At best she came into class half asleep and at worst she would be completely passed out before the end of it. She didn't understand what the trouble was.

Merida, on the other hand, knew what the trouble was. It had all started at the beginning of the year. Not long into the first semester, Merida began to notice just how attractive the new teacher was. She was somewhat shy and reserved at first, which was cute. But her presence alone demanded respect and she didn't take excuses from anyone. Merida admired that.

Then came some things she wasn't proud of. Because she also admired Elsa's looks. Elsa was fond of wearing tight but professional clothing. She didn't make any effort to hide her curves, but Merida made every effort to hide her appreciation of them. Some people in her position might have turned into a blushing, stuttering mess whenever they were in the presence of the woman, but Merida was tough. She took abuse from her friends well; prodding, nudging, and even inappropriate comments from the guys were not enough to get her too flustered in front of Elsa. Just somewhat.

As time went on, and Merida was moved to the front of the class, she found herself drawn further in. Now she noticed little things. Elsa usually wore her hair in a braid that wrapped around her head, but on certain days she styled it in a braid that fell down over her shoulder. Merida wondered how she would look with her hair completely free and falling down her back. She loved the way Elsa smiled, and the way she giggled with her hand pressed in front of her mouth. She was practically obsessed.

When she returned to class from Christmas break, Merida was sure she had done the unthinkable. She'd fallen in love. After three years of being a free woman, never having to worry about boyfriends or girlfriends and being able to do whatever she wanted whenever she wanted, Merida had it bad for one of the most unlikely people.

"You're perfectly capable of doing the homework. I know it." Elsa said, breaking her train of thought. "You're just not paying attention in class. Do you feel confused?"

Merida's heart beat louder. She most certainly did feel confused.

"I mean," Elsa continued, "I imagine if you don't understand sine and cosine that it would be difficult to answer the questions."

"Aye," she confirmed. "That's the trouble. It all just looks like Greek to me when I read it."

"Well, these concepts do date back to the Greeks, so you're not too far off."

"You know what I meant."

"Merida, I think what you need is some tutoring outside of the classroom. I'd be happy to meet with you like this more often so that we can help you overcome whatever it is that's keeping you from succeeding. I want to see you do well, you know."

Merida lifted her eyebrows.

"You want to tutor me?"

"Yes. I think it would help you. Maybe if we met here every week you'd be able to raise your scores considerably."

Merida glanced around the room, observing several math-related posters and tips on how to complete problems. If she couldn't pay attention in a class full of other students, how would she fair in a private lesson with the woman she couldn't stop thinking about?

"They won't be long," Elsa assured her. "I wouldn't want you to miss your practices or anything."

"Couldn't let that happen for sure," Merida said, grinning at her. She felt her heart rising up in her throat as she prepared herself to ask the next question on her mind.

"Speaking of practices, I have been working pretty hard for this competition." The younger of the two rubbed the back of her neck and tried to look nonchalant. "If you aren't busy, you could come an' watch. It's being held right in town."

Elsa's eyes widened slightly.

"You want me to come see you?"

Merida let out a light laugh.

"I'd like you to see the competition. But if you want to check me out, that's fine too."

Elsa quickly closed the folder on her desk and became busy with putting it away. Merida could have sworn that a slight pink color had just appeared on her cheeks.

"Yes. Yeah. I can come. Or, I'll see if I can." She took in a breath. "I think that's all for today. I'll let you go."

Merida smiled, stood, and tossed her backpack over her shoulder, feeling a bit more confident than she had when she'd entered. As she walked out of the building she saw the rain had let up and the sun was starting to shine. Maybe things were beginning to look up.


	4. Archery

//

They always called her cold. Some people event went as far as to use the word 'frigid'. Elsa was naturally cold towards others. It was just how she acted. And she was perfectly okay with that. Calculating didn't require warmth or outgoingness.

It wasn't that she was determined to be friendless, either. She just didn't care to have many friends. Elsa reasoned that she needed an education more than she needed drunken college parties, and a job more than she needed a girl's night out. Though, even a girl's night out was seeming more appealing than attending an archery competition in the pathetic hope that she could see the very last person she should be seeing.

Elsa was uncomfortably tense on a bleacher in the middle of the huge gymnasium, glancing around for any sign of the red curls she'd grown so used to spotting. On the one hand, seeing Merida meant admitting defeat. She was only there to see her, after all, and that really wasn't the kind of thing a teacher should do, right? On the other, seeing Merida would be a welcomed comfort among all the strangers in the crowd, who were only making Elsa weary.

Then she spotted a different familiar face. She shouldn't have been so surprised, but the thought hadn't crossed her mind before. Seeing Merida's mother caught her off guard. Elinor smiled and approached her.

"Ms. Queen," the woman greeted her. In Elinor's presence, Elsa felt that she was undeserving of such a royal name. Elinor had stern, regal elegance that vastly outweighed her own. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"Oh, 'Elsa' is fine." Elsa said, sitting up straighter. "It's kind of funny; your daughter actually brought it up to me. I would have missed out otherwise."

Elinor regarded her curiously.

"You're a fan of archery?"

"Oh yes. You know, there is a lot of calculating involved. And Merida and I could try to apply what she knows here in the classroom."

Elinor seemed pleased with that answer.

"I'm so thankful you've offered to tutor her." She took the empty spot beside the teacher, who feared that meant she'd have to keep up this conversation for a long time. The answer she had given was one she'd spent a lot of time forming the night before as justification for why she was there. No one could know that she just wanted to make Merida happy.

"It's no trouble. I want to see her do well."

"So do I. She keeps insisting that she doesn't need schooling and that she can figure things out as she goes, but I worry about her."

"She is very smart," Elsa said, trying not to sound as wretched as she felt.

"With her mouth, maybe," Elinor joked. Elsa could agree with that. Merida was always trying to get her to blush or stutter or laugh. She'd make quips left and right and give a cute little satisfied smirk. Elsa bit her tongue. They weren't cute. They were infuriating! No, not that either. She should just be ignoring them. Somehow that seemed impossible.

"Ah, there she is," her mother said, eyes on her daughter. At first Merida's face lit up with excitement upon seeing Elsa, but she wavered slightly noticing her mother sitting next to her. She gave a little wave. Once she turned away, however, she transformed. She became completely focused on her target. Elsa felt herself leaning forward, wanting to watch her closer. She'd never seen Merida so focused. It was a sharp contrast from her typical laid back attitude. Elsa admired her deeply for that attitude, despite her attempts at controlling it as the adult world had dictated she should. In all honesty, the last thing she wanted to do was force Merida to go back to her classes or scold her for slacking off. All of her life Elsa had been told to be the good girl. Do your homework, eat your vegetables, and sit up straight. Then complete your lessons, finish these problems, work harder, and harder, and harder. It was order after order from her father, and she succumbed to the stress, letting it consume her. So when she saw how free everything about Merida was, from her wild hair to her burning desires to break the mould, Elsa felt a longing to be a part of that freedom. Where others might immediately label Merida as lazy or foolish, Elsa saw her as brilliant. She was determined to live life the way she wanted, and not by the rules of others. But the very nature of their relationship, that of teacher and student, carried a terrible taboo with it and the inability to get too close. Getting too close surely spelled disaster. So she watched from a distance, quietly enthralled as Merida's strong grip pulled the taut bowstring back to her cheek. Elsa's breath caught in her throat as she waited for the young woman to release the arrow. When she did, it sailed home into the target, and Merida's coy smirk sent Elsa into a quiet panic. With Elinor just beside her she remained as stoic and unaffected as possible, despite the butterflies threatening to fly right out of her stomach.

"Is she always this good?" Elsa asked casually. Elinor nodded.

"Aye. Her father taught her when she was just a wee one. Not my preference, of course, but she does love it."

"What was your preference?" Elsa prodded.

"Dancing. But can you imagine her in a tutu?" Elinor laughed. Honestly, Elsa couldn't picture it. A basketball jersey, a football getup, a swimsuit- those were all things Merida could wear in her mind's eye. But Merida was not the kind to prance around lightly or daintily. Another thing she admittedly liked about her.

Merida ended up winning the tournament for her age range, which came as no surprise to her. In tournaments like these, standing still and shooting a target with hardly any pressure was easy. She claimed the other competitors thought too hard about it all, and that she could face those in the older categories with no trouble. She and Elsa stood off to the side of the gymnasium, a safe distance apart as she explained this.

"Thanks for coming to see me, by the way," Merida said with a particular shine in her eyes.

"It was fun," Elsa replied, returning the smile gently. "You make it look so simple."

Merida shrugged humbly.

"You make math look simple."

"But that's my job."

"Not everyone is good at their job."

Elsa couldn't argue with that. In fact, she knew she wasn't very good at her job beyond being able to relate mathematics to her students. After all, most decent teachers had the sense not to relate themselves to their students quite as much as she was with Merida. Elsa was about to say more when Elinor came up and gave her daughter a hug. The teacher stood there awkwardly as Merida squirmed.

"Mum, cummoan," she groaned, clearly embarrassed.

"Och, shush. It's not often I get to see you do these things. I'm proud of you!"

Merida rolled her eyes despite the small smile playing at her lips as she managed to break free. Elsa felt uneasy watching the scene. Not moments ago she had been daydreaming about Merida's strength and now she was being fussed with by her mother. Her mother. Elinor expected Elsa to be a trustworthy figure, not a young woman harboring a hopeless crush on her daughter. She wrung her hands nervously.

"Well, I have to get going." She lied. There was nowhere else for her to be, but that was the least of her issues. "It was nice seeing you again." She gave her best teacher grin to Elinor and turned on her heels, starting for the door.

Elsa wondered what she'd gotten herself into. Sure, she and Merida had only hinted to one another their interest in having a relationship- whatever that meant. There had been some casual, albeit outright, flirtation. There were stolen glances between them that no one else would understand. But wouldn't it be best for her to forget about it? To tell Merida that this couldn't happen? They couldn't happen. As she sat in her car, Elsa let her forehead rest against her steering wheel and sighed. If only it were that easy to let her go.


	5. Architecture

//

Another week. Another Thursday. Merida and Elsa sat side by side at Elsa's desk, slowly going over the problems she'd gotten wrong on her homework. Elsa was pleased to see the younger one improving. At very least she was doing the assignments now. As Elsa explained the mistake made on solving an inequality, she felt Merida's hand come to rest on her shoulder. She ignored it at first, continuing her thought and writing a new numbers on Merida's page in purple ink.

"It's an easy fix. See? I think you just misread the sign."

Merida hummed gently and trailed her hand downward, from Elsa's shoulder blade to the small of her back. Elsa, almost inaudibly, gasped at the welcomed contact.

"Oh, I think I'm reading the signs just fine," Merida said, amusement in her voice as she dared to move lower.

"Merida," Elsa warned. She pulled away and turned her chair to face her. "Do I have to be more frank with you?"

"More?" Merida scoffed. "When have you been frank at all?"

"I thought my talk the other day was pretty clear," she said seriously, alluding to a short conversation the two had shared earlier in the week. The thought of Elinor had nagged Elsa day and night in a very unpleasant way. "I have a certain role I have to fulfill here. Your teacher, remember?"

"But if you weren't my teacher. Let's just think about that."

"But I am," Elsa insisted. "Believe me, I have thought about that. I never even wanted to be a teacher in the first place!"

"What did you want to be?" Merida asked, genuinely curious. Elsa hesitated. She hadn't meant to admit that she thought about Merida being something other than her student or that she hadn't planned on being a teacher. But she'd already said it, so what was the harm in telling her more of the truth?

"Honestly, I wanted to be an architect. I still do." She glanced at the stack of work on her desk and tapped her pen against the wood. "When I get frustrated after grading all these papers, sometimes I sketch out new buildings."

Merida scooted a bit closer, so that their knees barely touched.

"What kinds of buildings?"

"All kinds of things, actually. Mostly houses. Fronts and floor plans. That kind of thing."

"Then why aren't you an architect? If you don't even like teaching, what's the point?"

That was more complicated. Elsa had felt directionless for a long time. Her father had always been steering her in a certain direction, but once he passed away, she didn't know what to do. So the easiest thing seemed to be taking the fast track to teaching. She figured that would give her a steady job and some experience, a foot in the door, to becoming something bigger. Her mother had been a teacher, after all, and so many people had adored her. And they always said Elsa was the spitting image of her mum. Maybe she could pick up where she left off.

"My father started it all, I suppose. I'll go on to get my doctorate eventually. I'm hoping to be a superintendent one day," Elsa explained, though it left a sort of hollow feeling inside her after she'd said it. In reality, it was all a horrible plan. But with no one to guide her, she felt quite lost.

"Well, you should just do what you want to do," Merida replied. She moved her hand onto Elsa's knee and looked at her sincerely. "Do it for yourself, not anyone else. You can do whatever you want."

Elsa looked into Merida's bright blue eyes. She placed her palm on top of Merida's hand.

"Unfortunately, that just isn't true at the moment." She carefully removed Merida's fingers from her knee and tucked her legs under the desk again to avoid any more touching. Personal space seemed to be a concept that was rapidly fading between the two of them. "I think we've covered enough today."

"What?" Merida glanced at the clock. "It's not time to go."

"You seem to be distracted anyhow."

"I'm always distracted," Merida admitted. She allowed herself a brief glance at Elsa's figure. "For exactly the reason you think."

Elsa swallowed a breath of air and shook her head as if to prevent any thoughts from entering.

"I would have thought you'd be happy to get to go home early."

"Anyone else would think that. But you and I know better."

Merida leaned her elbow against the desk and rested her chin in her hand, a sign she was definitely not ready to move.

"Fine," Elsa gave in after a moment. "I won't see you next week with school closing early. So we should get a little more done."

The school was having a short spring break, though it was more like a long weekend than a break. Thursdays that let out early were practically pointless. No one complained about having time off, however, especially not Merida.

"Are you doing anything special?" she asked the teacher, who rolled her eyes at the off topic discussion but answered anyhow.

"Actually, my sister is coming up from university on Friday. I'm looking forward to seeing her."

Merida started a new problem on the page of homework, but quickly her mind wandered. Instead of focusing on what she was doing, she began to come up with a devious plan.

"Nothing else?"

"Well, not really."

"Excellent!" Merida grinned widely. "You can drive me home on Thursday. But you have to pack extra clothes."

"Wait, what?" Elsa asked, terribly confused and slightly scared at what had gotten into Merida's head.

"Clothes you can get dirty. You know, mud and the like. Long sleeves, too. There's lots of branches and bugs. You aren't afraid of hiking, are you?"

"Oh. Hiking. No, I'm fine with that." Elsa mulled the information over. "But you want me to come to your house?"

"Me da' has a huge property. You wouldn't even be going into the house. Just the woods we own."

Elsa wrung her fingers, not looking at Merida for a moment.

"Merida, when are you going to realize that this isn't… You can't just invite me places. I'm your teacher."

"So? You won't be teaching me anything. We're going hiking. Just don't talk about math."

"Merida, you don't understand. You're not mature enough to-,"

The younger woman interrupted quickly.

"Not mature enough? I am an adult," she said sharply. "You're trying to tell me that I don't get it. Well, I do. You're worried to take this farther because it's sort of- oh what's the word for it?"

"Inappropriate?"

"There's nothing inappropriate about going on a hike!" Merida insisted, very obviously frustrated. "I take out clients with me da' all the time. I am old enough to think for myself, and I am old enough to know what I want. If you're worried about your reputation or something, you're over thinking things."

"I'm worried about more than my own reputation. What about you? All you know are these school walls. You're young. I don't want to take something away from you."

"Oh believe me! There won't be any taking unless I decide it. You act like you're so much older. You're not. I just know what I want and I'm not afraid to go and get it."

Elsa felt conflicted. She was supposed to be the bigger person, wasn't she? If she gave in, would that be wrong? But on the other hand, Merida was right. What was so wrong about it? If they had met anywhere else, no one would think anything of their relationship. Not that they had a relationship. In fact, this wasn't even a date. This was a ride home from school and a tour of her father's business. She clutched her hand against her heart and nodded.

"I'll give you a ride home next Thursday." She looked at her seriously. "After our usual tutoring, of course."

Merida grinned, ear to ear. Elsa loved seeing that smile, and it warmed her heart to know she caused it.

"Perfect." She jumped up and collected her things. "And remember the change of clothes. Wouldn't want that cute skirt getting ruined." She winked and strode confidently to the exit, feeling victorious.

Elsa yanked her skirt downward self-consciously and felt a little defeated. She looked away, waiting for the sound of the door shutting, and then scrubbed her face with her hand. This internal struggle was getting old already. And it was only going to get worse.


	6. Off-Road

//

Merida was feeling pretty confident. She stretched herself out in the leather seat of Elsa's car and felt the wind rushing through her hair. The nice weather meant Elsa had taken the top off of the roadster with the press of a button.

"It was my mother's," she'd explained, before rushing Merida to get her seatbelt on so they could leave as soon as possible.

"Take the left up here," the redhead directed. Elsa turned and navigated down a winding road to a locked metal gate. The younger of the two hopped out and unlocked it, then waved the driver on. Elsa parked, got out, and looked expectantly at Merida, who was making her way over to the small visitor's centre.

"This park's been in my family for generations," she said, searching for another key on the massive ring she'd produced from her bag. "We open it to visitors on weekends and select days. Mostly dad just uses it for hunting, though."

"What does he hunt?"

Merida grinned widely as the door swung open.

"Oh, the normal things. Deer, ducks, foxes, skunks... and bears."

"Bears?" Elsa repeated, stepping inside. Merida flicked on the lights and sure enough a gigantic stuffed bear was the first thing to greet the two of them. It had its sharp claws raised in the air and its mouth open to display the impressive set of teeth inside.

"You should see his bedroom," Merida quipped. "The man's obsessed with them."

Elsa stared at the stoic creature uneasily and jumped when Merida touched her arm.

"Yeesh," Merida said. "I was just tryin' to direct you towards the back. I promise it won't bite you! Come on." She lead the way through a small hallway and into an office-like room. Out of a locker came a duffel bag full of her own clothes and some boots. Right away she went to work tugging off her shirt.

"Uh…so…" Elsa clutched her own drawstring bag in her small hands, avoiding resting her eyes on Merida, who couldn't care less.

"What are you waiting for?" Merida asked, already kicking off her shorts to replace them with worn jeans. "If we're going to be done before dinner time, we should head out as soon as possible."

Elsa looked around uncomfortably. Sensing that there was nowhere to escape, she turned away from the other woman and slowly removed her shirt from the bag with nervous hands.

"I should have expected this," she thought. "She's so unashamed."

"Don't look," Elsa warned out loud when she finally started to pull her blouse off. But of course Merida glanced over to catch sight of the gentle curve of Elsa's figure and the modest bra covering what little it did of her back. She honestly tried to keep from staring as Elsa pulled her skirt down, but the breath caught in her throat and her eyes were frozen in place. The moral part of her (small as it was) chided her for staring, but a small smile pulled at her lips before she pried her gaze away to finish lacing up her boots. Elsa blushed the entire time, and desperately tried to slip into her change of clothes with as much haste as she could manage.

"You're going to need this too," Merida said, holding up a black motocross helmet and dropping it into Elsa's hands.

"Wait, what?" Elsa asked.

"It goes on your head, to protect that big math-filled brain 'o yours." Merida pulled her own helmet firmly into place. Her abundance of curls spilled out from the bottom edge.

"The last time I checked, hiking did not require head protection," Elsa said poignantly.

"Well, my kind of hiking does. Goggles too. The worst thing is getting a bug in the eye and then steering yourself off a cliff. And don't start worrying, I promise not to do that today."

"Merida, I do not know the first thing about riding a motorbike!" Elsa said, panic in her voice.

"All you need to know is how to hold on. I will be doing all the driving. Don't you ever relax?"

"I do," Elsa said, still refusing to put her helmet on. "With a good book, a hot chocolate, and fuzzy socks. Like a normal person."

"Or an old person," Merida muttered. Elsa narrowed her eyes. "I'm kidding! Where is your sense of adventure?"

"I must have left it at home with my sense of…common sense."

Merida laughed and gripped the helmet, then secured it over Elsa's head. She knocked her fist on the top twice.

"Safety first!"

A short time later, the sound of a revving engine filled Elsa's ears, though it was somewhat muffled by the helmet. Merida pulled up in front of her on a massive black all-terrain vehicle. The wheels were bigger than her head and caked with dirt from many rides.

"I call him Angus!" she said with a grin. Her hand patted the leather seat behind her. "Hop on."

"Are two people supposed to ride this thing?" Elsa questioned cautiously.

"Define 'supposed to'," Merida said with a laugh, which did not encourage Elsa to join her at all. Sensing this, Merida added, "Och, I do it all the time. It's plenty safe as long as you hold on."

Reluctantly, Elsa straddled the four wheeler and gripped the black bars on either side of her. Merida waited a moment and said,

"I told you to hold on. I'm not taking off until you do."

"I am holding on," Elsa replied. The younger of the two craned her neck to peer behind herself, confused. When she saw that Elsa had her hands on the bars, she groaned again.

"Your arms will get tired doing that. Just hold onto me."

"No," Elsa said quickly and firmly. "I'm just fine as I am."

Merida rolled her eyes and flicked the engine on once more, muttering something about stubborn britches and the infuriating teacher that wore them.

"You'd better be gripping that tight then!"

With that, she squeezed the handlebar and zoomed down the path. Elsa immediately felt herself fly backwards and gripped the metal harder, fearing for her life as Merida recklessly drove them over dirt hills and around winding bends. Merida switched gears as they gained speed, and Elsa could already feel her arms cramping. She cursed inwardly, knowing all too well where this would lead eventually.

After some time, Merida slowed and came to a stop at a low part of the forest where a small stream ran through. As soon as she'd turned the key, Elsa finally released her death grip on the bike and rubbed her sore elbows. Merida stood up and smiled.

"Would you like to try driving?"

"Me?" Elsa asked, honestly surprised.

"Yeah. It's not that hard. You just have to squeeze."

Elsa opened her mouth to reply and then crossed her arms.

"Oh I see. You want me to drive so you can do some squeezing of your own."

"Excuse me?" Merida deadpanned.

"Don't think I'm letting you get away with this. I'll stay right where I am."

"You're being absolutely ridiculous. I was just offering to teach you how to drive. I don't see what you're implying."

Elsa turned red. If Merida wasn't implying anything, then it was her who had her mind in the wrong place! That wasn't good at all. That was the exact opposite of what she wanted.

"Ah- never mind!" Elsa retracted quickly. "Sure. I'll drive. Show me."

Merida contained her giggles and happily switched positions. Immediately she went to work grabbing Elsa's hands to guide them into place as her body connected with Elsa's back. It had been a trick after all, so that Merida could use a hands-on approach. Elsa would have slapped her own forehead if her hands were free. Merida was sly.

"You're wicked," Elsa said. Merida's joy at being able to have this much contact was so thick she could sense it without even looking at her.

"Mmhmm," Merida replied gleefully. "Once you turn the key, just flick this switch upward. Then to give it gas just pull this towards yourself. Brake is at your foot. Just remember to let up on the clutch. We'll go slow so you don't have to switch gears."

Elsa followed the instructions and carefully navigated the path.

"That's it," Merida said, loudly enough to be heard over the growling engine. "Easy, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Elsa said. Feeling confident, she pulled the handle back to give them more speed. A demon-like scream erupted from the motor and she immediately slammed the break, jerking both of their bodies forward.

Elsa let go of the bike completely.

"What the hell was that?!"

"You didn't switch gears," Merida explained with a light laugh. Elsa shakily got off the ATV and returned to her original spot on the back. This time, however, she wrapped her arms around Merida's waist and tried to hide her embarrassment.

As the trees around them became blurs, Elsa found herself oddly calmed and exhilarated at the same time. She'd had clear trepidation about this at first, but it was becoming enjoyable. They sped through the forest, up and down, over and around. She forgot about how worried she was and about her worries in general. Merida had been right. Out here there was no 'student and teacher'. It was just the two of them having a good time. In fact, Merida had even tried to teach her something, with limited success. She forgot about test grades, absent lists, detention slips, and number two pencils and simply enjoyed the ride.

Merida felt silly, but having Elsa's arms around her made her feel so strong. She was riding Angus deep into the woods with the most beautiful woman she had ever met depending on her to keep them safe and to guide them. When she heard Elsa laugh over her shoulder, it filled her with such a sense of accomplishment. She never wanted her to let go.

Unfortunately, that time had to come. Merida pulled up alongside Elsa's car, where they had started earlier, and let her off, leaving the quad to idle. Elsa returned her helmet and was greeted with laughter from Merida.

"I'm afraid I've made an awful mess of your hair."

Elsa peered upwards and didn't flinch when Merida reached out in an attempt to fix it. She smoothed it, suddenly realizing how close Elsa was still standing. She glanced down at her soft lips and thought about kissing her. She'd imagined it so many times. How warm it would feel. How perfect it would be.

She dropped her hand and got back into position on her vehicle.

"Have a good weekend," she said. Elsa smiled as she got into her car.

"You too. See you Monday?"

"Sure."

"Try not to be late?" Elsa gave her a playful smile.

"You know that I can't make that kind of promise."

Merida watched Elsa pull away. After locking the gate behind her, she drove Angus in the direction of her father's estate. Despite the cool wind, every bit of her was warm. She had no way of knowing, but Elsa felt the exact same way.


	7. Home Life

//

Elsa liked things meticulous. Things had their place. For example, all teacups rested on small saucers, and all regular dishes needed service plates beneath them. Elsa had not held a formal dinner party since her 21st birthday (which, notably, was a disaster in several ways), but insisted that the service plates be used when Anna was in the house to avoid anything getting on the table cloth. Her sister was a notorious spiller. Otherwise, the fancier stuff stayed safely tucked away for parties and important events. The only time formal fish knives, oyster forks, fruit spoons, and the like came out were when Anna had brought Kristoff home for dinner the first time. Elsa enjoyed watching him sweat over which utensil he should pick up until Anna chastised her lightly and told Kristoff to stop worrying. 'A spoon is a spoon', she'd said.

On Friday night, Anna was stirring one such spoon in endless loops in her soup bowl. They'd already gotten past the tackle hugging and the excited squeals, which even Elsa was guilty of. She loved seeing her sister more than anything in the world. Just listening to her babble on and on about university while playing with her food was a welcomed delight.

"And that's how I ended up spending the entire night locked in the library with nothing but a granola bar and an extra pair of socks!"

Elsa giggled and shook her head at her sister.

"You always have been a night person. God help whoever has to wake up next to you in the morning."

"Kristoff doesn't mind."

Elsa paused, her spoon half way to her mouth as she lifted a dainty eyebrow and stared across the table at Anna. Anna seemed to catch herself too late and shrugged sheepishly.

"Come on, Elsa. We've been dating for almost two years now. And he visits me at school sometimes so he spends the night, and, well. You know how teenage hormones are."

"All too well," Elsa murmured under her breath. She seemed to have lost her appetite.

"What was that?" Anna asked.

"Nothing," Elsa replied a bit too quickly. Anna jabbed her spoon in the air towards her.

"Oh, no! You don't get off the hook like that. Go ahead and say what you have to say."

"Anna, it's nothing. If you're worried about what I think about you and Kristoff then you should know that it's none of my business what you two do. I'm just here to destroy him if he ever hurts you."

"We both know I can take care of that myself," Anna replied with a grin.

"That may actually be true," Elsa admitted, returning the smile softly. After their maid, Gerda, exchanged their bowls with the main dish and left once more, Anna decided to do a little more prodding.

"So, have you found anyone special while I've been gone?"

Elsa was sure she wasn't hungry now. Still, she focused her efforts on cutting through the fish on her plate and trying to keep from blushing. The first task worked out smoothly, but her pale complexion was helpless against the red rising in her cheeks.

"I, um. No. Not quite."

"No?" Anna repeated, leaning forward with anticipation. "So just a crush then?"

"I don't know if I would call it a crush. Isn't that a little juvenile?"

"Of course not!" Anna protested. "Anyone can have a crush. They're timeless."

"Are we talking about romance or classic house designs?"

"Romance, definitely. Tell me about your crush! Why are you keeping it such a secret?"

"There are no secrets!" Elsa felt the need to defend herself hastily, but had little else to say about that matter, seeing as there were a great number of secrets. Her stomach churned as she realized she was lying to Anna, which was something she really tried to avoid. But the thought of being honest with her felt just as wrong as being truthful.

"Alright, then. Is there a problem? Is there some reason you're nervous? Oh no!" She gasped gently and looked at Elsa with concern. "Is she straight?"

Elsa's face burned. If there was one thing sure to embarrass her it was Anna talking about personal life.

"No," Elsa replied. "She's definitely- well, I'm not sure. Whatever she is she isn't straight."

Or out of high school yet, she could have added. She wanted to collapse and fake fainting to get out of this conversation. It wouldn't be the first time she'd done it.

Anna nodded solemnly.

"Well, that's a good start. Elsa, you don't have to be afraid to talk to me about these things. I completely accept you for who you are."

That was normally true. Anna had been the first to know about Elsa's sexuality (and, really, one of the only people who knew at all). Her sister had sworn to support her no matter what without hesitation. But Elsa knew her feelings for Merida were even more unconventional and carrying a weight that the public would shame her for. Could Anna really support her in this? She didn't even want to support herself in whatever was happening.

"Where did you meet her?" Anna inquired. Elsa fidgeted and pushed her trout around her plate idly. How could she lie to her sister? She couldn't. But the only answer there was to this would surely give it away. Elsa chewed her lip.

"School," she replied.

Anna looked at her curiously.

"School school or work school?"

"Work school." Elsa figured she had already gone this far. There was no going back.

"Oh." Anna said. "Is it another teacher? Or, like, a cafeteria lady? The nurse? Don't tell me it's a gym teacher. Not that I'll be upset if it is! It's just like, so stereotypical, isn't it? But hey, stereotypes aren't so bad."

Elsa took in a deep breath.

"Anna, I really don't want you getting the wrong idea about me here."

"What do you mean?"

"She's eighteen years old. Most people think she's immature, and sometimes she can be, but she's also very determined. When I was eighteen… I was lost. I still am lost. But she knows exactly what she wants. And it just so happens that she wants me."

Anna looked at her sister, slightly confused. Elsa continued after another breath.

"Heaven knows I've tried to ignore her. I still don't want this to go anywhere, but she's been very insistent. I'm not blaming her either- I know I'm technically supposed to be the responsible one here. I've done a lot to try and resist her advances but I'm faltering. She's tall, Anna. Tall and so strong. She's got this great smile and an infectious laugh. We just connect so well, too. I could spend hours talking to her about anything and everything. But after we go our separate ways, I remember how wrong it all is. And I'm back to feeling like what we're doing is just going to end horribly. So I ask myself 'what am I doing'? 'Why'? But there are no answers."

Elsa looked down at her hands, feeling sick.

"I feel like a monster."

Anna had been listening patiently to Elsa talk. But after hearing that, she just had to speak up.

"Elsa, no! You aren't a monster."

"I'm in love with my student, Anna. Granted, she's about to graduate, but it's wrong all the same."

"Oh come on," Anna groaned. "You're always so afraid. What's so bad about it? If she's coming on to you and you're uncomfortable, just tell her she has to wait. You're the master of patience; I know you'll have no problem with that."

"You mean just wait until after she graduates? Isn't that kind of…cheating?"

"What's so cheating about it? You're scared people will look at you funny because you got involved with a student. So just wait for her to be not-your-student."

"I don't think it's as easy as that."

"Elsa, you seriously need to stop worrying so much! You can't hold back your feelings. It's not healthy. You just replace everything with fear. I can't stand watching you walk around like the weight of the world is on your shoulders when it isn't. You're only twenty two years old; start living!"

"I am living, Anna," Elsa said, squeezing her hands nervously.

"Oh please. How many girlfriends did you have in college? Have you ever even had sex?"

Elsa felt her entire face burning again.

"Anna!"

This was not going anything like Elsa imagined.

"I am not talking about this," she said. "Especially not over dinner." She stood up to leave, but Anna followed her.

"Fine, we'll talk about it somewhere else."

"No," Elsa clarified. "We won't. And I want you to completely drop all of this. I should have never told you. If anyone ever found out, I'd lose my job and all of my credibility."

Anna scoffed, folding her arms unhappily.

"Maybe this is just a sign you were never meant to be a teacher. You never wanted to be one before."

"I'm just doing what I have to do."

"No, you're doing what you think mom and dad would have wanted you to."

"Do not bring them into this," Elsa said sternly.

"Why not? They aren't here anymore, Elsa. They can't control you now. You can do what you want to do without them holding you back."

Elsa felt the tears threatening to spill. She held them back and tried to stay confident.

"They didn't do anything wrong," she said, still defending her parents. "They just wanted the best for me."

"Well now I want the best for you. I'm here for you," Anna said sincerely. "You don't have to close yourself off anymore. You don't have to conceal what you're feeling."

Elsa felt her sister wrap her arms around her in a comforting hug. She let herself hug her back.

"Thank you, Anna. Strangely, you always know what to say."

Anna giggled.

"I think that only works when I'm talking to you." She glanced over at their unfinished plates. "Should we finish eating?"

Elsa smiled and wiped her hand across her cheek.

"How about some ice cream instead?"

o o o

Another family dinner, and Merida was late as usual. She'd been scrubbing Angus clean, so she herself was damp and smeared with dirt when she took her place at the table. Fergus was absent, having been on a work-related trip that week. Elinor had her reading glasses on, and was looking over business documents as her food sat on the wayside. She looked up and frowned when Merida finally plopped into her chair.

"Och, Merida," she went to work scolding her right away. "You cannae come to the table like tha'. Go an' wash up, young lady."

"My hands are clean. Isn't that what counts?"

Elinor gave up, rolling her eyes.

"Boys, eat your greens."

Merida watched as her younger brother, Hamish, slyly scraped his steamed Brussels sprouts onto his brother's plate. Hubert then quickly transferred the mashed pile of green goop onto the plate of their third brother, Harris. He moved his plate off the table so that one of their father's greyhound dogs would slurp up the mess. Before Elinor could notice all of this, their dishes were back in their places and clean of all vegetables.

"Ice cream?" Hamish asked hopefully. Elinor glanced up from her papers again, noticed the green stuff had disappeared, and nodded.

"Just a bowl each," was all she had to say before engrossing herself in her reading once more.

Merida wanted to groan. She couldn't come to the table with dirt on her cheeks, but the boys could get away with anything and then be rewarded for it. The triplets scampered off to the kitchen, leaving her and her mother alone. When her phone began to buzz, she glanced down at her pocket. Elinor cleared her throat.

"No phones at the table, Merida."

Merida saw the name at the top of her screen and dismissed it, deciding instead to dig into her food.

"It's just MacGuffin anyhow," she said offhandedly.

Elinor perked up suddenly. She was quick to jump to certain conclusions whenever Merida mentioned one of her guy friends. So far she had been way off the mark- Merida wasn't interested in the boys romantically by any stretch of the imagination. There had been a time when she was younger that she thought she might eventually grow to 'like like' them, but it didn't take long for Merida to realize that would never happen. Elinor was still clueless.

"Oh? How is he?" She asked. "You haven't invited him over recently."

"He's fine, I guess." Merida answered with a casual shrug.

"He's such a nice young man," Elinor continued. Merida wanted to roll her eyes. Her mother was always saying things like this, trying to get Merida to agree. "Quiet, but very kind."

"Mhm," Merida said, just to humor her.

"I think he even has a crush on you."

Merida groaned. It was somewhat true. She suspected that MacGuffin was holding onto the hope that one day she'd suddenly swing back and he'd be her go-to guy. Unfortunately for him, Merida was sure what team she was playing for. She had her heart set on the equally shy but more adorable Elsa, a fact she would not share with her mother.

"Mum, he doesn't. And I don't like him like that."

"No?" Elinor said, very curious. She took off her glasses and placed them on the table. "So, then…who do you like?"

Merida felt the embarrassment bubbling to the surface.

"No one, really."

Elinor comfortably rested her chin in her hand, her elbow propped up on the stack of bills ready to be sent out.

"Oh come on," she pressed. "There must be someone. Clue me in. I want to know what's going on with you."

Merida tried to think quickly, knowing there had to be a way to avoid this. She had imagined how she would let her mother know she was queer. It would be on the day Elinor was going to die. That way she could live her life blissfully unaware and Merida would never have to face her shame.

There was only one thing to do. She'd have to endure absolute disappointment and probably some fury, but she had to do it.

"We got our report cards today," Merida confessed, completely steering the conversation in a new direction.

Elinor took the bait and dropped her previous inquiry.

"Well let's see it. How is it?"

Merida pushed her potatoes around her plate.

"Not so good," she admitted. "I've been trying to pull my maths grade up but, um," she shrugged, "it's just taking some time."

"You've been going to tutoring every week with Ms. Queen," Elinor said. "Do you need to see her more?"

Merida fought to keep her expression neutral.

"No. I'm getting there. History's alright. English could be better. Science is," she took a deep breath. "Better than maths."

Elinor groaned quietly and massaged her temples.

"Merida, you're such a smart girl," she started. "You could get good scores if you just applied yourself!"

Merida usually blocked her mother out at times like these. She'd become quite an expert at ignoring her over the years. After letting her rant for awhile, Merida spoke up to defend herself.

"I'm doing the best I can. I don't see what the big deal is. I'm passing, at least. And that's what counts."

"I know you're so against going to school after you graduate, but what if you change your mind? I want you to realize how what you're doing now may affect what you'll be doing later."

"Mum, I'm so sick of hearing about what I should and shouldn't do with my life. I already have a plan. Isn't following in dad's footsteps good enough?"

"Even your father studied in school, though you refuse to believe it. He wouldn't be out on a business trip right now if he didn't have any idea how to run a business."

"Exactly. But there's no way he needs to know what chemical is number what on the periodic table, or anything useless like that. Everything I need to know, I'll learn by doing. And I'm not doing anything stuck in school."

Elinor knew the two of them would never win against one another. As much as she loved her daughter, it was a constant battle to reach agreement on most things.

"Fine, I'll drop it. Just like you drop every conversation I try to have with you."

Merida frowned. Mothers always tried to say things like that to guilt their kids into feeling sorry for them. And it was working just a wee bit this time. Elinor looked genuinely upset.

"You know you can talk to me about anything, don't you?"

"Yeah, mum. I know," Merida said, getting up from the table. "I get it. If I have something to tell you, I will."

"Really?" Elinor asked skeptically.

No, Merida thought. Not really. Her mother hardly ever saw her way of things. There wasn't a point in sharing her personal life with her.

"Yeah," she lied quickly, starting to head off to her room.

"Merida," Elinor said, causing her to pause in the doorway and look back.

"Hm?"

The two looked at one another. A brief silence formed between them. Elinor obviously had something to add, and part of Merida did want to let everything out right then and there. But neither had the courage.

"Get those grades up," Elinor decided to say. Merida bit back a scoff and left. It wasn't worth it.


	8. Breaking

//

"That's it! You've got it," Elsa said, celebrating a small victory. Merida had managed to do an entire set of relatively difficult problems on her own. They'd taken a short walk together to the park to do some actual measuring using some tall objects, her height, and the angle of elevations. After many afternoons Elsa had realized that Merida liked a hands-on approach (in more ways than one, it seemed). As a reward for her improvement, Elsa agreed to get her a smoothie at the nearby café. They sat together at a small, private table toward the back of the little place. The pair of them sipped away at their drinks and shared a large baked dessert. Some sort of pastry filled with warm apple that Merida was moaning over. Elsa pretended she didn't hear.

"Yanno, we're sort of breaking the rules right now," Merida pointed out after they'd spent about an hour talking away the time and another few dollars on a new dessert. This one was of Elsa's choosing and chocolate filled.

"How so?" Elsa asked, trying to find a dignified way to lick chocolate cream off her fingers. Merida pretended she didn't see.

"I do believe we're out on a date."

Elsa chewed her lip briefly as she considered what to respond with.

"I don't know if this really counts as a date," she said, wiping her hands clean on a napkin. "Technically I'm supposed to be tutoring you right now."

"I'm learning plenty. About you at least, and you happen to be my favorite subject." She let her fingers reach out and brush against Elsa's exposed knee. Elsa rolled her eyes, but surprisingly didn't jerk her knee away.

"You've got to be the absolute corniest person I know."

"Oh commoan, you find it charming."

Elsa didn't say anything for a moment. There were a number of things she found charming about the younger woman. And some other things she didn't. When Merida went to slip her hand a little higher, Elsa pulled it away.

"Hands to yourself, Merida," she said a bit more sternly than she wanted to.

Merida nodded, giving a soft and sincere apology as she placed both her hands back around her smoothie's cup. After a moment of quiet, she looked at the woman across from her seriously.

"How do you really feel about me, Elsa? Honestly."

Elsa was taken aback. It was the first time she'd heard that come out of her mouth.

"You called me by my first name," she said, sort of awestruck by the casual way she'd been addressed.

Merida, cool as usual, gave a shrug and a tiny smile.

"And 'tis a beautiful name. But don't go changing the subject."

Elsa picked at what was left of the new pastry, feeling small suddenly.

"Well, I don't think it's much of a secret to you that I like you."

"Sometimes you act like it is."

"Because I don't want other people to know," she said in a hushed tone. "Can't you grasp that concept? You've got parallel lines and congruency down."

"Well, not everything in life can be as concrete as your math."

Elsa only wished it was.

"Do you think about me as much as I think about you?" Merida asked. "Do you dream about me? Because I dream about you. I'm only being honest because I can't take wondering much longer."

Elsa thought about Merida daily. On Mondays, she wondered how late Merida would be getting to class. On Wednesdays, her lunchtime was spent planning what they'd do for after-school lessons and then abandoning half of it on Thursday as they discussed their favorite movies, pet peeves they had, historical figures they admired, anything that came up, really. Between the two of them getting off-topic was never a problem. On weekends, she looked forward to seeing her again. And she dreamt about her often. Usually silly things like picnics where it suddenly rained and Merida found a box to use as an umbrella or them showing up to school only to have it turn into an amusement park where they spent the whole day having a great time. And then, other things she was too embarrassed to admit…

"If things were different," Elsa said, barely believing her own voice was betraying her brain's idea to 'just shut up!'. "If things were different, then I wouldn't hesitate to tell you how I really feel. And I'd take you out on a proper date."

Merida smiled.

"I think I'd be the one taking you out."

"Oh really?" Elsa giggled behind her hand. "Where would you take me? Back to your estate?"

"Well, not until I bought you dinner first at very least."

Elsa blushed slightly.

"Oh, no. I meant your, um, where we went last time," she suddenly felt warmer. "You know, biking."

"Ah, of course." Merida was still grinning goofily.

"I'm serious!" Elsa said, gently pushing her on the shoulder. "Stop giving me that look."

"If you really wanted to go there, I'd have no complaints."

"Merida," she said, knowing her face was probably showing her blush even as she shyly glanced away. Even Merida herself felt a little warm, but knew this was not the time and definitely not the place for them to be talking about this sort of thing.

"In all honesty, I think I'd like to take you out on a picnic. Where we can just talk, like we usually do, without anyone else getting in the way."

"That sounds very romantic," Elsa complimented. "How do you know how to woo a woman so well?"

"Maybe because I am one?" Merida guessed jokingly. "Or you're just easy to woo."

"Now, I think we both know it can't be the second one."

"So you do know how stubborn you are? That's a relief."

"Oh stop it," Elsa said, her smile clearly showing how serious she wasn't. She reached out and grasped Merida's hand. She took in a deep breath.

"You're breaking the rules again."

"I know," Elsa replied. She rubbed her thumb over the back of Merida's hand. "You know how you can't help yourself most of the time? Well, I happen to have more patience. But I want it as much as you do." She gave her palm one more squeeze and then let go. "Still, we have to be patient. And that means no more rule-breaking." She stood and collected her satchel, full of papers she had to grade and quizzes she had drafted.

"Not even a little bit?" Merida asked. "With a confession like that, my brain's going crazy."

"Patience is a virtue, Merida. Add it to your many other good qualities."

"Do tell what my other ones are. I'm eager to know what you like the most about me. I have a few ideas, myself."

"I'm almost positive that would result in breaking the rules. I'll see you first thing tomorrow morning."

Merida stood up too, standing slightly above the other woman. With a smirk she said,

"Of course, Elsa."

Elsa stuck her chin into the air, adapting quickly into a more dignified stance.

"That's Miss Queen to you, young lady."

Watching her exit the café, Merida shook her head and sank back into her chair. She didn't just have it. She had it bad.


	9. Parent Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elinor and Elsa meet to discuss Merida's progress.

//

Progress. That's what it was about. It wasn't an interview, or an audition, or even a test. She was going to sit down, smile politely, and talk about Merida as if she were one of her four dozen other students. Above all she was going to give Elinor absolutely no reason to believe Merida was in any way special to her. And she definitely hadn't been sending her text messages all day, seeing as students and teachers were sort-of kind-of restricted from doing that.

"Merida," Elsa had said evenly after the bell rang and her students had started shuffling into the hall. "Wait just a moment."

Merida ignored the smug look Macintosh was throwing her way and took her time collecting her things. No doubt he and Dingy would be hanging out by the door and spying, just trying to find some evidence to prove their theories on Merida's apparent crush. They weren't wrong, of course, but Merida would never breathe a word to them. She kept herself composed as Elsa held out a slip of paper, which Merida took.

"For the time being this is for emergencies only," Elsa said, worry creeping its way into her voice. "And today there is an emergency."

Merida unfolded the note and noticed ten neatly printed numbers. She met Elsa's serious gaze, nodded, and headed to her next class with only a nudge from Dingwall which she promptly returned, only harder. She waited patiently enough until English, where she could safely ignore Mrs. Belle rambling on about commas, to tap out a message on her mobile phone.

"Hey snowflake"

Not a moment later, Elsa was replying, a bit too frantic to be giddy over Merida's sweet words.

"Hi"

"So whatsa emergency?"

"Your mother. She's coming to see me after school to have a talk."

Merida nearly groaned out loud, but remembered she was supposed to be acting as if she were paying attention to the proper separation of whole sentences and interjections. Instead, she sent out a frustrated reply.

"Tha wummin! Says she'll be pickin me up after school tday an I wondered why. Too feart to tell me she's gon talk tyou."

Elsa hesitated a moment, deciphering the message.

"Is this really how you type?" she asked.

"THATS what your focused on now?"

"On second thought, you really need to pay attention in English class right now. I wonder if your mother is going to have a talk with Mrs. Belle too."

"Will be easy for her!" Merida sent, slightly annoyed. "Don't think she's interested in me that way."

Elsa could practically feel the emphasis in the text and it felt like queasiness. Despite being on her lunch break she really did not feel like eating.

"Merida, this is a real problem. Do you think you could come with her?"

"How is tha gonna help?"

Merida waited a long moment for a reply.

"I just want you there. You know, for support."

She didn't hesitate to answer, though she took the time to spell out every word.

"I'll be there for you."

Those simple words actually did a lot to calm Elsa down. No matter what, they were in this together. So, that evening, when almost everyone had gone home, Elinor found herself hurrying along the school hallway to Miss Queen's classroom with Merida following behind.

"You could have just waited in the car," she pointed out. But Merida shrugged.

"Yanno I cannae sit still, mum."

She had made a promise to Elsa. The last thing she wanted was her mother and Elsa to be stuck alone in a room together, honestly. She could think on her feet a little better than Elsa could, so if things got messy she'd have a way to get them out of it. Not that Elinor suspected anything. She was, thankfully, unaware.

Elinor reached the door and turned to her daughter.

"Well, I suppose you'll be pacing out here then?"

"I thought I could come in."

"Ah, no," Elinor said with what was nearly a laugh.

"What? I cannae hear what you're going to say about me?"

"That's the point, dear. We're to have an honest discussion about you. So you will wait outside, and that's final."

Once her mother decided something, it was difficult to change her mind. Her daughter had tested that too many times to count. Elinor swiftly walked into the room and pulled the door shut behind herself. Merida felt the panic set in.

"Elinor," Elsa said with a smile as she turned to face her. She had been watering the small, green plants sitting by her window with a spray bottle, perhaps too enthusiastically due to her nerves. She placed the bottle down before she could drown the poor plants and folded her hands in front of her. "It's good to see you."

"Likewise. Though I'm afraid I cannae stay long. I've got to pick up my boys soon."

"Well, won't you please have a seat, and we can discuss whatever is on your mind."

Merida peeked in through the glass window of the door. She didn't know how she did it, but Elsa was perfect. Totally poised and relaxed despite her earlier self-proclaimed emergency. She met Merida's eyes only briefly as her mother took the seat across from Elsa's desk.

"I'm sure you've assumed I'm here about Merida's grades."

Elsa felt her jaw tighten.

"Yes. Of course."

"I'm just concerned. I want her to graduate on time."

"Oh," Elsa said, trying not to show any hint of relief. "Well, actually, I don't think that will be a problem at all. Merida is making a lot of progress. She's agreed to retake some of the exams I've given her, and she even just completed an extra credit project. Would you like to see it?"

Elinor seemed surprised to hear all of this. She nodded.

"I would."

Elsa pushed back her chair and searched for the small poster board Merida had put together in their spare time after school. She laid it in front of Elinor on the desk. On the poster was a small cut out of her curly haired daughter and a tall tree, with strings between the two to make what looked like a triangle. Elsa placed another paper on top.

"She got an A," she said, a hint of pride in her voice. "And she's even participating in class a bit more. Instead of just the usual talking she does. The non-math-related kind of talking." Elsa couldn't hide the smile on her face and gave up trying to. "By the end of the year, I don't see any reason why she wouldn't pass. She'll be far from it, I hope."

"Oh. This is wonderful." Elinor gave her a genuine smile. Her eyes roamed the poster for a few moments. She shook her head, proud but still in a state of disbelief. "I don't know how you did it. I was a little worried that the tutoring wasn't working when I saw her last report card. I kept meaning to come in to see you, but I'm very busy."

"It's fine. I understand." Elsa felt great. If a meeting with Elinor was as easy as this, then she wasn't sure what had her worrying in the first place. The mother across from her laughed gently.

"So tell me: what's your secret?"

Suddenly, everything seemed to tense. She thought she felt her heart stop in the brief moment that Elinor paused before explaining,

"I don't know what you're doing differently. Her other teachers insist they've tried everything, but not much has changed. And now here you are, getting her to do an entire project by herself."

The relief of Elinor not knowing the teacher's real secret made Elsa want to throw up. Instead she shrugged, smiling slightly uneasily.

"I guess she just has more of a math brain than she thought she did."

"Or you've got some kind of magic hidden up your sleeve." Elinor returned the project and stood. "Well, I suppose there's no reason to keep you here. I thought it might be a long battle- I've unfortunately been in quite the verbal brawl with Merida's past teachers. But knowing that she's doing this well is a great comfort to me. Thank you for your time. I really appreciate you helping Merida."

Elsa pushed past the guilt settled in the bottom of her stomach. She had a feeling that even if she had no interest in Merida that Elinor would still make her feel inferior. Maybe it was the way Elinor carried herself as though she had absolutely everything under control. Elsa envied such true put-togetherness. Hers always seemed to be an affront. A face she put on in the presence of people like Merida's mother.

They exchanged goodbyes. Elinor left and found Merida slumped against the wall with her phone in her hands. Merida had been watching the meeting the entire time, of course, but she pretended to be unaware and disinterested.

"Ready to go?" her mother asked.

"Actually," Merida said, glancing upwards, "Macguffin just asked me to hang out. So I'll see you at home later?"

Elinor smiled, seemingly pleased at the thought of her daughter going out with a boy. She nodded.

"Alright then. Just make it home before too late. It is a school night." She ruffled Merida's hair and headed off.

Merida waited for her to round the corner. Then she waited some more. Finally feeling it was safe, she jumped up and strolled into Elsa's classroom, shutting the door behind her. Elsa was standing in front of her desk, pushing the chair that Elinor had sat in back into its regular place. She paused and gave her student a smile.

"Hello, Merida. Is there something I can help you with?"

"Yeah," she said coolly. She'd managed to catch Elsa in the perfect position. Elsa took in a quick breath as Merida pressed against her, an arm on either side of the teacher, pinning her against her own desk where they stood.

"I thought we had a talk on 'hands to yourself'," Elsa said, pouting. It wasn't that she wasn't enjoying having contact from thigh to chest. This just really wasn't the time or place for it.

"My hands aren't on you," Merida pointed out. Her voice dropped to a smooth whisper. "Though they would really, really like to be."

Elsa fought to keep her breathing even. It was true that Merida's palms were firmly planted on her desk, but Elsa wasn't in the mood. Well, not in the mood for her tricks at least. She reached behind herself and found what she was looking for. All of a sudden, Merida felt cold water splattering against her face as Elsa pulled the trigger on the spray bottle and doused her. Merida fell backwards, wiping at her face.

"You keep everything to yourself, then." Elsa scolded. She sprayed her once again for good measure. "And you can sit down and do a set of problems while you're here."

Merida rolled her eyes and dropped into her chair.

"You'll at least give me a ride home, won't you?"

"I'll think about it." Elsa smirked, handing her a sheet of paper with a couple of word problems on it.

Elinor had asked her what her secret was. Maybe all of Merida's teachers needed to be armed with spray bottles to use when Merida got distracted. Though, that seemed a little cruel and unusual.

"Oh, these are easy," Merida said, and Elsa found herself smiling again. They were problems Merida never would have even considered before. Now she was doing them willingly, readily, and accurately. It was quite the improvement.

Elsa watched as Merida, concentration etched onto her face, scribbled out work on her paper. And suddenly, Elsa couldn't help herself. Merida deserved a reward for her hard work, and Elsa was overwhelmed with admiration. She leaned over and gave Merida's soft cheek a kiss. Merida could feel the place Elsa's lips had touched her burning, or maybe her face was just heating up. It was a warm day. She kept her eyes trained on her paper.

Elsa wondered which of them she was reminding when she heard Merida mumble,

"Keep everything to yourself."


	10. Graduation

//

Even with the air conditioning running in the classroom, Merida felt that sort of sluggishness that came along with unbelievably hot weather. After such a cool and wet spring, the sudden climb in temperatures left her feeling even lazier and more unfocused in school than usual.

"Merida, pay attention," Elsa said for the fourth time. The heat had her beat too. She was at her own desk flipping through a magazine, just waiting for Merida to be done with her practice exam. If she could pass it, she'd have no trouble passing her final the next day. That meant she'd finally be able to collect her diploma and get out of high school.

"Els," she said, tired of sitting around. "Can't we talk while I do this?"

"We won't be able to talk tomorrow," she replied without looking up. "So why should we now?"

"Because no one's around. It's just you and me."

Elsa nodded solemnly and picked up the magazine so she could hold it in front of her face to avoid looking at the only other person in the room.

"A fact which I am choosing to ignore," she added pointedly.

"Oh," Merida teased, a smile on her face. "Is Miss I'm-So-Patient having impatient thoughts today?"

Elsa took a deep breath and shook her head, staring harder at the page she was trying to read. She was a horrible person. A no good, terrible woman who couldn't stop thinking about how nice it had been to kiss Merida on her cheek and how much nicer it would be to kiss her elsewhere. She knew she should have held herself back. She was catching onto Anna's bad habit of impulsive decision making, and there was no way that could lead to anything good. At least maybe Anna might have caught some self-control from her older sister, but Elsa doubted it.

"Whatsat you're reading?" Merida asked, sitting up a little taller. " 'Big Summer Blowout'?" She read, curiously. "'Lose ten pounds fast'? It's one of those magazines, is it?"

"Shush," Elsa said sternly.

"Didn't think you fancied trash like that."

"It isn't trash." Elsa moved the magazine and looked defensive.

"Well, I didn't mean to offend you, snowflake. But really, you of all people don't need tips on how to lose weight or look more beautiful. Hell, if you found a way to become any prettier the whole world would be doomed."

Elsa lifted an eyebrow, then accepted the compliment. She went back to reading, hoping Merida would take the hint and get back to what she was supposed to be doing.

"So why are you reading it, then?" She pressed on instead.

Elsa sighed gently.

"It's something to do. A distraction."

Merida got up on her knees to lean over and see the page. She broke into a grin.

"Ah, I see. Women in bikinis. A 'distraction' indeed."

Elsa quickly flipped the page and Merida saw a faint flush in the teacher's face.

"It's not like that! I just- seeing the new styles- Oh, would you just take your test?!"

Merida sat back down and started on the next question on the exam. Then she let out a sigh and looked up.

"Now I can't stop thinking about swimming."

"You can swim when you're done. If you ever get done."

Merida chewed her lip, then twirled her pencil around absently.

"Actually," she said, "I'm thinking about you in a bikini. Do I get to see that when I'm done too?"

"Absolutely not!" Elsa hissed. She glanced towards the open door nervously. Despite there being hardly anyone left in the building the last thing they needed was someone to hear the two of them flirting. Or bickering, which seemed to be their own way of flirting. The janitors were notorious gossip spreaders. Feeling safe enough, however, Elsa spun the magazine around so that it faced Merida. She pointed to one of the models.

"What do you think of this one?"

"Hm. She's alright. More a fan of blondes myself."

"I'm talking about the bathing suit, Merida."

"Oh." Merida examined the picture. It definitely wasn't her own style. "You mean, if you were going to wear it?"

"Yes."

Merida was quiet for a moment. Elsa glanced down at the lace-covered two-piece in the picture. She had thought it was classy enough.

"If you don't like it, just say so."

"No, no," Merida said, shaking her head. "I just needed a moment to remember how to breathe." She nodded slowly. "I would very much like to see you in that. At the soonest possible time."

Elsa grinned and made a mental note to order that particular swimsuit when she got home.

"Pass tomorrow's exam and you will."

Merida's eyes grew wide. Without another word, she was looking at her practice problems and solving them at an incredible speed.

Elsa didn't have to remind her to focus for the rest of the day, nor the next.

After most of the other students with last names starting with 'D', Merida's name was announced, and she confidently threw her hands into the air to the sound of the cheers and clapping in the audience. Her mother snapped as many pictures as she could of the moment. It was one she didn't ever want to forget. Merida confidently and enthusiastically shook the hand of her principle, taking her diploma in her hand and striking another pose for the camera. Elsa covered her mouth with her hand as she giggled from her place with the other faculty members. Thankfully she didn't stand out, as she heard similar laughs coming from a couple of other teachers around her. They were probably just as glad to see Merida finally graduating, but for different reasons than her own.

When the ceremony officially ended and hats had been collected off the ground, everyone milled about on the football field. Elsa was surprised to be asked by a couple of students for a photograph, but she posed for them with a smile and polite, 'congratulations!'.

More surprising was Elinor ushering an embarrassed Merida towards her.

"We've got to thank the woman responsible for getting Merida a B plus in mathematics!"

"Geometry, mum," Merida corrected her. "Els- er- Miss Queen's very specific."

"Ah, yes, yes of course." Elinor seemed outright giddy. "Get together for a picture then!"

Merida tossed her arm around Elsa's shoulder. Elsa nearly protested, but Elinor didn't seem to think anything of it. So, somewhat daringly, Elsa hugged Merida and gave a genuine grin as the photo was snapped.

"Perfect!" her mother said. "We'll have to find the boys next. Have you seen Macguffin?" She spun around, searching for Merida's friends. Elsa still hadn't let go, her arms around Merida's middle.

"I'm so proud of you," she said truthfully.

"So am I." Merida was beaming. "Though, I might not have made it without you."

"I think you could have. As I understand, I was a major distraction for you."

Merida scoffed playfully and Elsa finally let her go and faced her. She ran a finger through her messy orange curls.

"So," she said, "Guess things will be changing a little."

Elsa nodded, shyly glancing at her feet.

"A little. For the better, I think."

"I think so too."

"Do you still want to… I mean, we don't have to talk about it right now, obviously, but, um, I wasn't sure if you would want to see me again?"

"You're kidding, right?"

Elsa looked up again, meeting Merida's serious gaze.

"Don't think that just because this part of my life is over that I'm ready to throw it all away. This," she motioned between the two of them, "is just the beginning. Alright?"

Elsa smiled and impulsively hugged Merida once more, which Merida was more than happy to return.

"Besides," Merida added, lips close to Elsa's ear, "I believe you promised a sort of reward. A certain bathing suit?"

They separated with matching smiles.

"You'll have to find a day for us to swim."

"We'll figure something out," Merida promised. Off in the distance, they suddenly heard Elinor's voice.

"Merida! Come on, don't dawdle!"

They glanced over to see Elinor waving and pointing.

"Guess I'd better go. But I'll see you soon?"

"I hope so. And Merida? Enjoy your day. You've earned it."

She watched Merida leave, a blur of gold and curls that had an extra bounce today. Elsa felt overjoyed thinking about what Merida had said. This wasn't the end of anything. It was the beginning of something new.


	11. Reversal

//

Now the trouble seemed to be how to get started on their new relationship. No longer being locked into such strict roles, both Merida and Elsa were anxious to get on with things. The only problem was that neither of them had a clue how to take the first step.

Elsa's phone was buzzing early on Tuesday morning. It had already been a week since Merida last saw her at the graduation ceremony, and the two of them had been texting or calling one another daily. Elsa was sitting up in her bed at the time, coffee to her right and a laptop balancing on her knees. Gerda had already taken the tray of mostly-eaten breakfast out of the room when Elsa picked up her mobile phone and answered.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," she greeted warmly.

"Elsa, I cannae stand it any longer!" Merida replied, foregoing any hello completely. "It's pure torture not getting to see you."

"It's better than going to school, isn't it?"

Merida grumbled something that sounded suspiciously like, 'always has to be such a smart ass'. Elsa chose to ignore whatever it was when Merida asked,

"What are you doing today?"

"Not much," she replied, glancing at the screen in front of her before closing the laptop and putting it aside. "What did you have in mind?"

"Come over."

Elsa paused, her fingers slipping slowly into the handle of her coffee mug.

"To your house?"

"Yes. Where else would I be? It's before noon."

Elsa giggled.

"Silly me, thinking you might be out of bed. Though, to be fair, all I'm doing is lounging around anyway." She took a sip, hoping to wake herself up. Truth be told, she wasn't much more of a morning person than Merida or her sister. She just hid it better.

"Perfect. Then you can get up and head over right away before it gets too hot."

"Too hot to do what, exactly?"

Merida insisted that she would explain once Elsa arrived, which didn't make Elsa any more eager to hop into her car and drive over. Though, just having the chance to see Merida would practically guarantee her overcoming her anxiety and going wherever it was Merida wanted her to. Besides, she figured Merida wouldn't come up with anything too horrible.

"What should I wear?" Elsa asked, hoping to get some sort of clue.

"Anything you'd like. We will be outside, though."

"And can I assume a helmet will be provided for me?"

"You won't need one. At least, I hope you won't."

Well, Elsa thought, then it must be something relatively safe. She agreed to be there soon and was pulling into Merida's parking lot not long after their phone conversation. Merida was obviously already bursting with excitement when she showed up, and she hid it poorly. As Elsa emerged from her car, the redhead gave a low whistle at the sight of her. Elsa blushed slightly as Merida's eyes took in the sight, and she suddenly felt self conscious about her choice of denim shorts and a loose tank top. In her defense, it was a very hot day.

"Is this okay for what we're doing?" she asked, glancing down at herself.

"Of course. Sure. It definitely suits you." Merida fought to pull her gaze away. "Anyway, you can pretty much do archery wearing anything," she added.

Elsa could have smacked her own forehead.

"Archery! Oh, of course, how did I not guess that's what you had in mind?"

Merida glanced around, then took Elsa by the hand, starting to guide her out into the open field beside the visitor's building.

"Actually, this was your idea," Merida said earnestly.

"Mine? What are you talking about?"

"Well, I was having a little chat with my mum last night. I told her how very interested you are in learning archery. I said that you might have mentioned it a few times during tutoring sessions. So, guess what? She thought you should learn from the best. And I'm the best!"

Elsa listened to the words Merida was saying, but they didn't seem to make much sense.

"When did I ever say I wanted to learn how to shoot a bow and arrow?" she asked.

"You didn't. That's the beauty of it, I think. My mum remembered how you came to my tournament and believed this would be a wonderful way of repaying you for what you did for me—free archery lessons. Normally I charge for this, you know. My end of the summer camp has a small enrollment fee, and private lessons aren't cheap."

"So you're going to give me 'private lessons' just to fool your mother into thinking I have a reason to be here?"

Merida grinned, turning to face her as they reached the range.

"That's the plan."

Elsa laughed out loud, much to Merida's confusion.

"Okay, on the one hand, this is brilliant," she said, fighting down giggles. "The student has literally become the teacher. But come on, Mer, archery? Your mother is perceptive, so I don't think we can trick her with this. I can't shoot an arrow to save my life. You'd have an easier time convincing her that you wanted to take piano lessons from me."

"I highly doubt that. Last time mum tried to get me to take up the piano I stuck a beehive in the baby grand to scare off the instructor. Though, I can manage a couple cords on a lute."

"You might get along with my sister's boyfriend, then."

"I'll have to meet this sister of yours one day. Anyway, forget your worries. We're going to have you hitting the target in no time!"

As she spoke, Merida was busy collecting the necessary equipment. She handed Elsa a pair of oddly cut gloves, which she began to pull on. When she was done with that, Elsa found a bow in her hands.

"You're serious? You're going to actually give me lessons?"

"I wasn't joking about the lessons. Archery is no joke, snowflake. We'll practice the basics first, obviously." She finished by handing Elsa an arrow.

"And all we're doing today is archery?" Elsa asked with uncertainty in her voice as Merida walked behind her.

"Aye. Though we can always see where that leads us." Merida bit her lip, but even that couldn't stop the smile from spreading across her lips as she circled her arms around Elsa from behind and pressed herself against her.

"Ah," Elsa said with understanding. "I knew there had to be a catch."

"Just showing you how to stand, is all." Merida said, amusement in her voice as she slid her hand over Elsa's hip. Elsa could almost sense the predatorial growl wanting to escape the younger one's mouth as she said,

"Spread your stance a bit."

Elsa did as she was told.

"Are you usually so hands-on in your private lessons?" She mused aloud, feeling Merida's gentle yet firm palms explore up her sides, over her back, and across her shoulders in a way that only made her want more.

"That's why they're private," Merida teased. She finally settled her hands back on Elsa's hips.

"Knock your arrow by fitting the end of it against the string. I gave you basic beginners equipment- it's a blunt tip on the other end so have no fear of killing anything. There you go. Get it situated. Then place the other end on that line there. See, it shows you where it's supposed to go. Can't get much simpler than that."

"Let me guess," Elsa said, lifting the bow up so she could attempt actually firing it. "Your lessons are usually for little kids?"

"Aye," Merida replied, "So I'm especially enjoying this change of pace. Pull back."

Elsa tugged. Then tugged again. The string was barely budging.

"Merida," she said, unsure. "It's too tight."

"Nah, it's supposed to be that way. You've got to build up your arm muscles. Come on, give another go. Your aim's to get it to your cheek."

Elsa frowned and pulled back with all her might. She got little more than halfway when her fingers slipped and let the arrow fly in a wobbly arch down into the dirt. Elsa deflated noticeably.

"Well," Merida said, "this will take more time than I thought."

"Don't be discouraging!" Elsa said with a pout. "I didn't say things like that to you when you thought a parabola was a kind of disease."

When Elsa turned to see her instructor clearly fighting off giggles, she lifted an eyebrow.

"What?"

"You're just… very cute when you make that face."

"Oh."

"Let's try again."

Elsa nodded and pulled back, using some strength she didn't know she had this time. She attempted to aim and let it go, with moderate success. The arrow shakily made it three fourths of the way to the target.

"That was much better! Keep doing that. You'll get it."

Elsa excitedly picked up another arrow and tried again. It took several attempts until finally the tip of her arrow hit the edge of the round target.

"Ah! I did it! I hit it!" Elsa threw her hands in the air in celebration, laughing happily. Merida had never seen someone quite so excited over just barely hitting the mark, but seeing Elsa so enthusiastic filled her with a phenomenal feeling as well. She felt even better when Elsa dropped the bow and tossed her arms around her in a tight hug.

"You're an excellent teacher," she said. Merida felt it was the perfect moment to return Elsa's gesture from weeks ago. Without hesitation, she pressed her lips to her cheek. Elsa paused, pulling away after a moment and looking at her until Merida glanced away. She wondered what she had possibly done wrong.

"What?" she asked.

"I think this is a significant victory. It deserves a bigger reward."

"Oh?" Merida smiled, putting a hand on her hip and regarding her with an eyebrow raised. "I seem to remember lots of impressive victories in the geometry category for which I was not rewarded."

"Well, then I guess we'll have to make up for it."

Elsa could hardly believe those words had come out of her mouth. But, if she was being honest with herself, she was willing to say pretty much anything to get Merida to kiss her at that point. She had been holding herself back for too long.

Elsa felt a soft and slightly nervous hand cupping her cheek and found herself looking upward to see Merida leaning down. Her breath hitched, her eyes closed. She felt surprisingly calm as Merida's lips fell gently against her own. It was light at first. Then they shifted, Elsa pressing closer and Merida tilting her head just slightly. The shorter of the two wrapped her arms around Merida's neck and lost herself in the kiss.

Merida was sure she had lifted from the earth and been sent to Heaven. A poor cliche phrase, sure, but if cliche felt this good Merida would write a whole book full of trite, overused sentences. Elsa was just as wonderful to kiss as she'd imagined, and she had done quite a lot of imagining. She gave Elsa's bottom lip a quick nibble, and she was happy to discover that Elsa liked that quite a bit.

After a very long moment, she pulled away to look at the beautiful woman now in her arms. Elsa swallowed a breath of air.

"I don't know what to say."

"I don't think we need to say anything."

Elsa smiled and kissed her again, this one quick and playful.

"And I'll take another one," she said, bending down to retrieve the bow she'd dropped in her excitement. "Right after I hit the blue part."

Merida chuckled as Elsa took aim again. As much as she wanted to spend all day kissing Elsa, she felt relief, in a way, because the sound of tires on gravel was getting closer. She stepped a foot back and saw her mother driving up the grassy hill in her golf cart.

"Hello ladies!" She called. Elsa, hearing her voice, jumped like a disturbed cat and let an arrow fly straight into the air. Merida caught it on its descent and stashed it behind her back as Elinor pulled up alongside them.

"How are you making out?"

Curse her mother's choice of words. What ever happened to 'how is it going'? Or any phrase that didn't accidentally allude to kissing!

"Just swell, mum!" Merida answered smoothly as Elsa fought hard put on a neutral face.

"Thank you," Elsa managed to say. "I'm really grateful for the opportunity."

"Oh don't mention it. Merida actually seemed excited to have you study under her for a change."

Elsa had absolutely no reasonable response to that. Though she was reminded of an old conversation about topping.

Elinor did not notice. Ever the gracious host, she added, "You're welcome to join us for dinner when you're done."

Merida made a face. There was no way she was going to get through a table with her mother on one end and her...well, her Elsa on the other.

"What?" Elinor asked. "Something wrong?"

"She's a vegetarian," Merida blurted suddenly. Elsa thought about protesting, as she was most certainly not a vegetarian, but she quickly changed her mind.

"And Maudie always makes meat," Merida continued. "I'm sure tonight's no exception."

"Hm," Elinor said with a glance in the direction of the house. "That's true. Another time, then. That's all I really came out here for. So, I'll let you two get back to it."

Merida was tempted to take the arrow she was holding and shove it through her head to escape the embarrassment. Luckily it was a blunt end and Elinor was driving away, so instead of inflicting bodily harm on herself, Merida turned to Elsa.

"I am so, so sorry about my mother."

"No, it's fine. Really." Elsa showed her a sideways smile. "She's just a little frightening. And she really has a way of making things awkward."

Merida laughed out loud.

"Finally! Someone who understands."

"Hand me that arrow," Elsa said, getting back into her position. "I'm going to hit it for sure this time."

"For sure?" Merida repeated. "Well, look who's getting confident."

Elsa smiled.

"Well, my teacher's confidence may be getting to me. I'm going to need a little help to do it. Do you think you'd mind?"

"The day I mind being pressed up against you is the day they cart me away to some loony bin."

Elsa laughed again and not so subtlety leaned back into Merida as she moved behind her.

"Maybe a kiss for good luck?" Elsa asked as they pulled back the arrow together.

"I cannae reach your lips."

"My shoulder is right there."

Merida glanced downward. She couldn't argue with that fact. Her lips connected with a spot above Elsa's collarbone, and the arrow hit the target with a solid thud.

"Looks like at least one of us is an excellent teacher," Elsa said, adding a gasp. Merida was too busy to respond.


	12. First-Aid

//

Merida left the keys in the ignition and dismounted Angus, tugging off her helmet as she did so and balancing it on one of the handlebars. Elsa hopped off just after her and grinned at the scenery. They'd parked in the sand along the bank of the river, hoping to cool off after a hot and sticky archery practice that morning. It was so humid that Merida hadn't even wanted to get up close and personal, and Elsa wouldn't have let her if she'd tried. But now, with the promise of cold water to swim in, Elsa felt reenergized.

"This is going to feel so good!" she said, already starting to pull off her summery blouse-of-the-day. Merida's eyes were suddenly stuck on the woman in front of her who made quick work of kicking her shorts off as well. Merida actually gaped when Elsa was left only in her bathing suit- the same one they'd looked at together in Elsa's magazine.

"You kept your promise," Merida pointed out, hoping her voice didn't squeak as she said it.

"I did," Elsa replied. "How do you like it?"

Elsa could tell how Merida felt about it. Her eyes were glued mostly to the parts the bikini didn't cover.

"You're absolutely gorgeous," Merida said, this time looking Elsa in the eyes. The sincerity in her voice and the honesty in her gaze gave Elsa a lump in her throat. She smiled shyly and clasped her hands together in front of her.

"Thank you," she said quietly. Then, gaining a little more confidence she added, "It's a shame I don't have something to admire as well."

Getting the hint, Merida grinned, moved her hands to the hem of her shirt, and then paused.

"Ah, I sort of forgot to wear my bathing suit."

"You forgot?"

"Aye. But this'll do just fine." She slipped her t-shirt off and stood in front of Elsa in her shorts and a small sports bra. Elsa had a plenty to admire now; Merida, despite her tomboyish past, had grown into a beautiful young woman. Her curves were defined, stomach muscular, and toned arms absolutely mesmerizing to Elsa. She swallowed.

"I think now would be a good time to cool off."

Merida nodded.

"Agreed." She glanced towards the middle of the river. "Race you to that rock!"

She took off towards the water and Elsa gasped, falling a few steps behind her.

"Hey, that's not fair!"

Merida laughed as her knees hit the river.

"All's fair in love and-," Merida didn't finish her sentence when she caught sight of Elsa diving into the shallow water and shooting like a bullet ahead of her. She cursed and threw herself in fully, swimming as fast as she could. Elsa broke the surface and paddled further, her target now in sight. Merida fought to catch up and managed to make up for the lost time. Unfortunately for her, Elsa was just too quick. Her palm slammed down against the warm surface of the rock just seconds before Merida's own.

"Ha!" Elsa shouted, gasping for air. She turned her back to the rock and leaned against it. "I got you this time." She panted heavily while Merida caught her own breath a little easier.

"Yeah. Alright, you won. That was impressive."

"Thanks," Elsa said. "Wow, I'm really out of shape." She closed her eyes and worked on taking deeper breaths. Although she knew it lacked tact, Merida's eyes were drawn to Elsa's chest. She'd never seen so much of Elsa exposed, and it was having an effect on her. Well, she thought, Elsa did get that swimsuit with her in mind.

After a moment, Elsa opened her eyes and glanced at Merida. She cleared her throat, causing Merida to jump slightly and look away.

"Sorry." She apologized.

"I'm only teasing you. You always dish it out, so I have to get my chance sometimes."

Merida splashed at her gently, and Elsa laughed.

"How about a kiss for the winner?"

"Then you'd be giving a prize to the loser."

"Don't think of it as a loss. Second place deserves an award too."

Merida wasn't going to argue that point. She leaned forward and captured Elsa's lips. Elsa grinned against her mouth and reached up to rest a hand against her jaw. Merida didn't want to push things too far, but the longer they kissed the more she realized how they were situated. Elsa was pressed up against the rock and Merida could very easily move herself in front of Elsa and press up against her. When she felt Elsa's other hand brush against her hip, she took that as a sign and put her plan into action. She broke the kiss and planted one just beside Elsa's mouth instead. She took Elsa's hand in her own and shifted in the water, her arms moving to either side of the gorgeous woman in front of her. Elsa kissed her again, and Merida closed her eyes as she began to move herself forward. Just a little closer and she'd be able to feel Elsa's-

Elsa's mouth pulled away and she hissed.

"Ouch!"

Merida instantly became worried.

"What? Did I hurt you?" She asked, stepping back into the slightly deeper water.

"No, I just stepped on something sharp. Oww." She grimaced. Seeing that Elsa was in real pain, Merida wasted no time. She took Elsa in her arms, cradling her, and carried her to shore, much to Elsa's surprise. She sat Elsa in the sand and inspected her foot, which was bleeding pretty heavily.

"Must've been some glass. Damn it, can't people learn to throw their beer away properly? Hang on, don't move. I've got a kit in Angus' pouch."

Elsa waited patiently. The cut didn't hurt as much as it had a moment ago, though it did look pretty nasty. Merida came back and kneeled by her. She took time to clean it up.

"Ah, it's small." She observed aloud. "No worries."

Elsa smiled gently as Merida began to wrap it in medical gauze.

"My hero."

Merida smiled too. When Elsa had a sense of humor it always put her in a good mood.

"There you go, all fixed up. I don't have a lollipop to give you, though."

"Another kiss would do, if you have one of those."

Merida gave her a quick peck on the lips, then took a place in the sand beside her.

"Sorry for cutting our swim so short," Elsa said guiltily. Merida shrugged.

"We cooled off, didn't we?"

"Definitely."

The two of them looked out at the river. Merida took her hand and laced their fingers together.

"Good thing you don't need your foot to do archery. If it's too bad, we'll prop you up on a crutch. Or I could hold you up, I suppose. But don't you dare go cutting your hand! Then we'll be in trouble."

Elsa rolled her eyes.

"You and archery."

"You and numbers."

"You and Angus."

"You and Olaf."

Elsa gasped.

"You swore you wouldn't talk about that!"

"About what?" Merida couldn't contain her goofy grin. "That you still sleep with a stuffed snowman? And you sometimes carry around a big purse with him inside? I'm not supposed to mention that at all?"

Elsa shoved her with her shoulder.

"Don't tell anyone."

"No one is around."

Elsa did a quick sweep of the tree line with her eyes.

"I swear, your mother is always somewhere close by. She doesn't need to know I sleep with a snowman. Or that I'd like to sleep with her daughter, either." As soon as the words left her own mouth, Elsa clapped her hands against her rapidly warming cheeks.

Merida snorted, then doubled over in laughter.

"Oh my god, I can't believe I just said that!" Elsa looked absolutely horrified as Merida continued to laugh. "You're rubbing off on me!"

Merida started a whole new round of howling.

"You're awful." Elsa insisted, shaking her head. "Absolutely awful."

"Heh- hey-," Merida said, trying to regain her composure. "D-don't judge me before you try me!"

Elsa gave up. She tried to roll over and start to get to her feet, at which Merida stopped laughing.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Home. Even if I have to hobble on one foot!"

"Aw, snowflake, don't be like that. Come on, I'll take you home. Though, last I heard, you want to take me home."

"You are absolutely intolerable!"

"And yet you tolerate me." Merida stood and helped Elsa sit on Angus. She retrieved her shorts and helped her get them on over her bandaged foot, then handed her the top she had been wearing.

"Thank you," Elsa said, doing all the buttoning herself. Merida couldn't help but add,

"Well, now you know that I'll help you redress afterwards." She snickered.

Elsa said nothing, but pulled her helmet firmly into place. She waited until Merida was back on Angus to exact her revenge. She laced her arms around Merida's waist, a hand brushing against her thigh, and whispered to her just before she turned the keys.

"I'm looking forward to that."

Needless to say, Merida wore a bright blush on their ride back.


	13. Arachnophobia

//

Well, with Elinor checking up on the out-of-state branches of the family's stores, Merida was finally able to set up the romantic picnic she'd been wanting to give Elsa. She'd asked Maudie to make up a nice packed lunch for her (as she was quite incapable of cooking herself and figured Elsa would appreciate the food to be edible). Maudie seemed annoyed at the request, seeing as she had to tend to the three boys that loved to give her an endless amount of trouble. But that wasn't Merida's problem. She was focused on giving her girlfriend a relaxing, picturesque date.

Admittedly, that gooey, tender stuff held little appeal for Merida. She'd much rather be bonding by getting dirty running through the mud or sword fighting until her arms felt like they were going to fall off. But Elsa was a proper lady and she deserved to be treated like one. She'd learned that lesson from her father, though she supposed he never thought she'd actually need the advice herself.

Anyhow, Elsa absolutely adored the idea of the picnic. And when Elsa loved something Merida did for her, it meant she got rewarded. And the reward ended up being much sweeter than swordplay.

The food had been abandoned, pushed to the side after a quick meal to make room for them to stretch out. Merida didn't want to waste time, so she'd ended up on top of Elsa quite quickly, comfortably straddling one of her thighs. Elsa didn't mind at all, and only encouraged her with more kisses. Finally, Merida's hands were able to explore her as they'd wanted to for so long.

Elsa was so caught up in the moment she didn't realize it was her who was moaning until she felt Merida's hand in a new place and their lips disconnecting. Elsa's head fell back against the blanket, and she gasped for breath.

"Ohh yes," she breathed, twining her fingers into Merida's thick curls. She whimpered as the redhead's lips found a sensitive spot against her neck to suck and bite.

"Mm. Don't leave a mark," she warned weakly.

"No fun," Merida laughed, moving her lips slightly lower.

"I never wear scarves. People will be suspicious if I start now."

Merida's hand moved lower, and Elsa tried to contain her excitement at the thought of where it was headed. She let her own palm caress Merida's bared thigh. Before she could arch into Merida's touch, however, her blood ran cold. She froze in place as something distinctly hairy skittered across her ankle.

"M-Merida," she whispered.

Smirking, believing it was her impressive skills causing Elsa to stutter her name, Merida lifted her gaze. What she saw was Elsa wearing a serious frown.

"I think there's something on my leg."

Elsa said quietly. Merida squinted.

"Something on your...? What?" She removed her hands from their places and sat up. Elsa's eyes nearly popped out of her head. As she had feared, a spider sat on her ankle.

"Get it off!" Elsa quickly swung her leg and accidentally caught Merida in the gut with her knee. Merida rolled off with an 'oof'. Clutching her stomach, she sat up.

"Och!" Merida scoffed. "It's just a wee spider. It won't hurt you!"

"But you don't understand. I hate spiders."

The offending creature hurried along the edge of the blanket.

"Kill it!" Elsa shouted.

Merida couldn't believe this was happening. She reached over and smacked it with her hand, much to Elsa's horror.

"There. Dead." She held up her palm, where the gushy remains of eight smashed legs remained. Elsa turned her head in disgust.

"I really don't need to see it."

Merida swiped her hand along the blanket.

"It didn't even bite you. Was it really worth kicking me for?"

Elsa suddenly gasped.

"Did I hurt you? I did overreact a little."

She got to her knees.

"It's nothing a little kissing won't fix," Merida answered. She leaned in to receive one, but Elsa stood up instead.

"Okay, but not on the blanket. There might be more where that one came from."

"You mean the spider? Are you serious? We're in the woods! They're everywhere!"

Elsa shuddered.

"I know. Please don't remind me."

Merida sighed and got up. She was losing hope of getting back to what they had been doing just moments ago.

"First my mum, then a broken bottle, now a bloody spider," she mumbled under her breath. But Elsa's hair was out of place, her lipgloss smudged, and her cheeks still showing a bit of pinkness against her light complexion. She looked too adorable. Merida stepped forward and kissed her without another word. Her hands found her hips and she pulled Elsa forward. But when Merida's curls brushed Elsa's face, the older girl jumped nervously.

"What?" Merida asked, seeing Elsa squirm.

"I-it just- your hair- I was thinking about spiders again."

Merida groaned.

"Let me guess. Your mood has been ruined?"

Elsa looked at her shoes and nodded sheepishly, hoping Merida wouldn't be too angry. Elsa had spent much of her life indoors and away from all the creepy-crawly-fuzzy-buzzy things. What didn't bother Merida in the slightest had the opposite effect on her.

"But," she said slowly. "Your mother is away for the week, isn't she?"

"Yeah," Merida said, not thinking much of it. Though she was a little frustrated, it had nothing to do with Elsa. She could never be mad at her for something like that, and she would never do anything to her that she didn't want.

"Well," Elsa continued, "If you aren't busy on Friday, I'd like to take you to dinner."

Merida went through the calendar in her head. Friday was two days away.

"That sounds nice," she answered with a sideways smile. "I'm not busy."

"Good." Elsa said. Then, with a breath of air, "You could come over to my house afterwards."

Merida blinked.

"Oh?"

"Mhm. My sister won't be home from University until next week. She's in an extended program. So. We'd have the place to ourselves."

Sensing her nervousness, Merida squeezed Elsa's hand in reassurance.

"I'd really like that."

Elsa gave her a relieved smile, and rested her head against Merida's chest. Merida kissed the top of her blonde hair.

"I can even get us reservations to Menzella's," Elsa said, not moving from her comfortable position. "Would you like that?"

Merida balked. Menzella's was a fancy seafood restaurant on the bay where an appetizer cost more than she typically spent on a full meal. Merida had money, of course, but she avoided upper class establishments if she could help it. Her father preferred conducting business dinners and family outings in nice-enough pubs. It was her mother who wanted high snobbery in the form of tiny portions arranged delicately on platters and thin flutes of champagne.

"Anna and I go there a lot, so I know that it's good. Or, is that weird? That I would take you to a place my sister and I go to?"

Actually, Merida was highly touched by that fact. It meant it was a place Elsa was comfortable with. No doubt she'd be full of nerves that night. It would be best if she was in her element, even though Merida would feel a tad out of place.

"No, that sounds perfect. But let's not make it a double date quite yet."

"Promise. I'm not ready for that either." She smiled up at her girlfriend. Merida smiled back and started to guide her towards Angus.

"Come on, let's get you out of this supposedly terrible forest."

"It's not all that bad," Elsa mused aloud. She put her helmet on while Merida collected the blanket and dishes and shoved them into the basket again. "And I always love spending time with you."

Merida grinned and shook her head. Somehow, Elsa was turning her into a goofy romantic. If her mum ever found out, she might be more shocked that Merida was willingly going on cheesy dates than the fact she was dating Elsa. But Merida couldn't bring herself to be shocked. Elsa was...well, she was unique.

"Next time we're bringing insect repellent."

Merida hugged her one more time.

"Whatever works for you, snowflake."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((A/N: This is as far as I've gotten so far. But just so you know, the next chapter is called Sleepovers. And it's exactly what you think.))


End file.
